Put soldiers before Santa

Kudos to Shoppers Drug Mart for listening to its customers and making the decision to stop playing Christmas music in its stores until later this month.

Let’s face it, it’s just too darn early. Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to wait until after the Santa Claus parades to launch into all this?

There was a time that stores waited until late November or early December to put out their Christmas giftware and crank up the Christmas tunes. Nowadays, especially at some of the big box stores, the decorations, wrapping paper and such are rolled out just after Labour Day. It’s a little hard to start dreaming about a white Christmas when you are running around in sandals and shorts, and concentrating on getting kids ready for that first day of school.

In a world where just-in-time delivery is the mantra of industry, the pendulum has swung far too far in the opposite direction for retailers.

For many Canadians, there is a day between Halloween and Christmas that should be a holiday – Nov. 11.

Remembrance Day should be a day of solemn reflection about the sacrifices made by Canadians in the name of freedom and democracy.

It shouldn’t be sullied by the intrusion of Christmas songs and the push to get you to purchase that next big thing to put under your tree seven weeks from now.